


Odd World

by Trani



Category: SHINee
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 09:20:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5823100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trani/pseuds/Trani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something new has turned upside down the world people believed in.<br/>Something new has messed up the reality people believed in.<br/>And step by step it has swallowed everything.</p><p>When Jinki got stuck in the middle of it, he thought it would be a mission like another. Nervousness would give turn to excitement, fear, relief and then all would be back to normal.</p><p>But what he found there wasn't what he expected.</p><p>~</p><p>Kibum led an ordinary and peaceful life away of all of this. The only big hole in his life would be Lee Taemin, a friend he often said he regretted to meet but secretly loved as a brother.</p><p> </p><p>He led his life unaware of what was happening around him and ignorant of what he was trapped in against his will.</p><p>~</p><p>Nothing could have predicted that Jinki and Kibum would met one day. But they did, and this encounter would probably change their life forever. And their perspective of life too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The World

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Odd World  
> Pairing: Onkey  
> Rating: R (for now) M (later)  
> Warnings: Portrayal of "drug" use, mature content (later, will be mentioned), slight mention of violence  
> Genre: Romance, action/aventure, angst  
> Summary: Nothing could have predicted that Jinki and Kibum would met one day. But they did, and this encounter would probably change their life forever. And their perspective of life too.

 

 

 _A_ burning pain was drilling each inch of his stifling skin. He gasped, the urge to scream irradiating from all of his body. But as much as he wanted no sound could escape from his aching throat. Even the air was barely breathable, leaving him panting and left on his own. The pain was spreading all over his body, he could even feel the tormenting ache consuming his flesh. Time felt like it has stopped abandoning him in his never-ending agony.

 

He was sore and he didn’t even have the force to move a finger neither he have the force to open his mouth. He wanted to scream, to tell the world how suffering he was, how bad he felt. But all he was able to do, was to close his heavy eyelids, abandoning himself to his fate.

 

His messy hair was sticky from the sweat his body was producing, raising the temperature and making the pain more and more unbearable. A wave of pain ripped him apart once again and sent him contrived in his last retrenchment. 

 

And then it stopped.

 

The sickness gradually vanished from his body.

 

His last string of energy escaped from his lifeless corpse, everything began to slip away. He mind went blank and he lose ground.

 

He was curled up, crumbled on the floor, tears falling down his cheeks. Then, he slowly fell in a deep state of unconsciousness.

 

 

 

 

Only the off screen voice of a late documentary could be heard in the tiny room. The shadows of the screens were reflecting on the sleepy face for almost twenty minutes when his cellphone rang. The young man opened lazily his eyes before scratching his head and stretching his arms to reach his cellphone. His eyes took some time to adapt to the darkness of the room and he groaned while reading the name of the person disturbing his sleep.

 

"Yeah Minho?" He said without trying to hide his annoyance.

 

"Jinki? Were you sleeping?" A deep voice asked. Jinki didn't respond, swallowing a curse. He wasn't in a state to argue with his friend.

 

"Obviously not" He reached for the remote control to shut down the screen and push the button of the alarm clock next to him to display the time. It was 1:34pm.

 

"Can you come get me?" His friend said in a low voice. He stayed shut, his sleepy mind trying to process the information. Why on earth would he find Minho in the middle of the night?

 

"Please" The voice on the phone was now trembling. Jinki sighed.

 

"Where are you?"

 

He ended the call and extirpated himself out of his bed reluctantly.

 

Twenty minutes later, he was there. He entered the bar scanning the crowd with his eyes. He already had an idea where he could find his friend and began to slip by the crowd. He caught a familiar figure surrounded by glasses sprawled on the counter of the bar and smiled weakly.

 

"You stink"

 

The brown haired man whose head was lying on the counter didn't respond to his friend comment. He only turned his face towards the man and smiled widely, a drunken smile who actually looked more closely to a grimace than an actual smile.

 

His big eyes had a hard time focusing and he ended up closing them. His long, slender figure seemed to have lost all his strength. Jinki watched his friend take a sip of his drink and sighed.

 

"Minho, let's go home" Jinki grabbed his arm and pull him away from his chair but Minho opposed and hold into his drink firmly.

 

"M-My drink" he muttered in a low distorted voice. "Let me finish it at least...the only thing that seems to love me..."

 

He didn’t take time to Jinki to understand what was happening.

 

"So she left you" he said in a sigh, taking a seat next to him and starring at his friend with concern. Minho shook his head before taking another sip. His eyes were fixed on an invisible spot on the counter of the bar, the one he always choose to drown in sorrow when he was heartbroken.

 

"Come on, you were the first to say she wasn't the one for you"

 

Minho pouted. "For the first time of my life… I wanted to be the one who break up. I am always the one who feel like a dick"

 

"You are a dick"

 

Minho glanced up. "Thanks, it's not like I needed a confirmation from my _friend_. Do you want to break up too?” He retorted in a rebellious tone.” Yeah let's break up. That will be the best for the both of us. Yeah this is the best idea I had for the past years. My love life fall down since I met you."

 

He paused drinking his last sip and stretched out.

 

"Yaah I feel so much better now. I didn't know it was that easy to make an end to a relationship.”

 

He sat up straight, his eyes focused on an imaginary thing like he was in deep thought.

 

“No. I should feel better but I'm not. What's wrong with me? I really feel like a dick now.” He shoved his head in his arms and whined.

 

Next to him, Jinki couldn’t retain a laugh and gently patted the back of his friend. He knew Minho since kindergarten. It was funny how he could held him responsible of his love life disaster. But it was a fact, Minho might be the most unlucky man on earth when it comes to love relationship.

 

He met his last girlfriend at a party where she was waitress. Minho fell in love as soon as she pour him his first shot. She fell for him as soon as he handed her her first tip – a 100,000 won bill. Once in love, Minho was the cheesiest wet noodle Jinki ever knew. Too kind, too nice, too blind.

 

He was too dazzled to notice what really was happening around him. These were always the base of their most serious disputes, Jinki always becoming his enemy when he tried to reason with him. But this was before Jinki finally decide to give up and started to collect a drunk Minho at the bar once in a while.

 

Jinki put his friend on his feet with some efforts and dragged him towards the exit. He placed Minho on the backseat of his car, fastened his belt and sat behind the wheel.

 

Minho really began to worry him. He knew that his friends was the brightest and the liveliest person on earth but recently he was feeling as lonely as ever. Hopefully their next mission will begin soon, and Minho would be able to forget his heartbreak for a while. Or at least, he hoped.

 

He drove carefully, not wanting his friend to spill his stomach on his freshly clean car. He took a look at Minho from time to time in the rear-view mirror. He looked distressed and miserable. And he hoped that it was mostly because of the alcohol he had ingurgitated.

 

He parked in the basement on their apartment lot and dragged his ill and sleepy friend toward his room. He put Minho in his bed and covered him with a thin blanket. He was ready to close the door when his friend shout at him in an almost inexistent voice.

 

“Jinki?”

 

The latter just hummed.

 

“Let’s date”

 

Jinki gently smiled. “You’re not my type Choi Minho”

 

He finally closed the door while Minho was already lost in his dreams.

 

 

 

 

“LEE FRANCESCO TAEMIN”

 

“DON’T CALL ME THAT” an angry voice shout in response through the closed door of the bathroom.

 

Taemin has taken the bathroom hostage since one hour and if he didn't hurry up Kibum will probably be late for work.

 

It was the same every morning.

 

They fought over every little thing of their morning routine and it was getting on Kibum’s nerves. They weren't the only one living in the house. Actually it wasn't even their house but Mrs. Cho's, the woman who took them under her gentle wings and treated them like her own sons.

 

They were lucky to have her, she loved to take care of the two idiots, cooking for them and only allowing them to financially participate to the communal expenses. It's not that they didn't try but her persuasive manners made them accept the fact. And to be honest, it was pretty convenient with their petty salary.

 

The only big inconvenience living in that house brought was that Kibum had to tolerate Taemin every day and Taemin had to tolerate Kibum every day. It was tiring.

 

"I swear, if you don't come out at 5 I will consecrate the rest of my life destroying yours, and I promise it will not-"

 

The door suddenly opened up and a wet Taemin came out, not allowing Kibum to finish his sentence.

 

"It’s not like it wasn’t already the case, stop being annoying early in the morning"

 

Kibum said nothing, not wanting to waste more time arguing with his pointless friend. Taemin took advantage of it to make his way through his bedroom and disappeared. Kibum finally entered the bathroom thinking of a way for seeking vengeance. Speeding up, he took a few minutes to wash and prepare himself for work. He rushed towards the kitchen, stole a few toast Mrs. Cho had prepared, left the house and hurried up to the bus stop to reach his workplace.

 

He arrived fifteen minutes later in front of the private psychiatric clinic where he worked for almost two years now. He was a psychiatric nurse and was mainly in charge for short or long period patients whose trouble or disability prevent them from living by their own or whose family couldn’t take care of them. It wasn’t serious troubles or to be exact, the patients weren’t harmful toward themselves or their entourage.

 

During his time at the clinic, he has seen all kind of disorder he never thought could exist and his patients wouldn’t stop to surprise him. Some of them wouldn’t look like an ill person and sometimes he wondered why they were even here but some of them, he was ashamed to admit, scared him.

 

That day, he was in the communal room, watching over his patients, waiting for lunch to come. It was a large rectangular room, big enough to contain twenty people without feeling like suffocating. In the left corner, at the bottom, a big screen was surrounded by two couches and a few chairs. A big wooden table was in the center, and another smaller covered by all sort of magazines was just in front of the only big window of the room. The decoration was basic, only a few pictures that depict various sceneries hanging on the white walls. Kibum always found the decor simple but relaxing.

 

It was like an ordinary day at the clinic and all the residents were lively bragging or playing. Except for Mrs. Moon who isolated herself from the others in a corner of a room, mumbling about an incomprehensible string of words and figures as usual, they were all gathered around the table or around the TV. The TV group was silently watching a cartoon in which a malicious tiny mouse was chased by a poor clumsy cat. The others were playing a card game that Kibum gave up trying to understand the rules, if it ever had one. The important thing was that they seemed to understand each other.

 

He watched an old man got up from his chair and make his way in his direction. He took a seat next to him and sighed. “Isn’t it boring Kibum? Spending your day watching over a bunch of crazy people?” He laughed to himself and continue. “Because I am”.

 

He smiled looking at the others fooling around, like he wasn’t one of them earlier. Kibum said nothing, he was used to hold this kind of conversation with the old man. To be honest, he always find kind of fun to look after them. They weren’t severely ill, he wasn’t a problem to deal with them – most of the time. He certainly attended every day to unexpected behavior and that prevent him from a monotone day. There were time they were out of his control, mostly because the mood was contagious, but it was kind of rare and always ending up without too much fuss.

 

“You lost again right?” Kibum said to the other man, his sharp lips curling into a smile and his eyes still fixed on the people playing on the table. The other man sighed loudly in disagreement. “I don’t mind losing but I might be the only one that way. Don’t want to upset anybody” The nurse laughed, gently pressing his elbow in the older man ribs. “So kind of you”.

 

The other groaned. “At the time I was a mafia leader nobody would dare making fun of me” he warned glancing up. “Oh you must have been really scary back then” Kibum mocked. “Too bad I can’t get rid of someone as easily as before” the patient retorted with a serious tone.

 

Kibum ignored him, looking at his watch. It was almost noon and they will soon have to get ready for lunch. “I know deep inside of you that you love me a lot Mr. Park” The latter chuckled. “The day you will find out that I never lie once since I got stuck here, you will regret your words!”

 

“Sure” Kibum simply responded with a laugh, standing up and calling for the patients to gather in the cafeteria.

 

The doctors believed that Mr. Park suffered from psychogenic fugue, a pathology in which a patient forget about his anterior life and started building a new one, a new identity he strongly believed is his. It was a form of amnesia resulting from something he probably wanted to forget they said. Mr. Park never have been a mafia leader or something like this, all the documents they had about him stated that he was born, grew up and worked in a farm in the countryside.

 

He left work, still reflecting on the conversation he had with Mr. Park earlier. He was deep in his thought when the bus driver dragged him out of his mind hurrying him to leave the bus. Kibum thanked him with a light head motion, thankful that at least one person remembered where he lived and stepped out. He headed for the café “Gusto” right in front of the bus stop and sat at a window. It was a small and cozy café with round tables disposed in front of a large display stand. Soon after his ice Americano was on his table. It was his after work ritual, and the waiter already know what he wanted and the fact that the owner of the café was Mrs. Cho made things easier. He was treated like royalty.

 

He pulled his smartphone from his pocket to check the news and take a deep sip of his Americano. As a horrible salty taste overwhelmed his senses, his split the liquid straight away from both his mouth and his nose. The waiter rushed at him eyes wide opened, handed him a piece of tissue. Kibum didn’t even give it a glance and stand up angrily. The waiter became pale but Kibum walked pass him heading to the counter.

 

Usually, the coffee shop served the best café in the area. Unfortunately, it was also the one that stupid guy worked at.

 

“LEE TAEMIN!”

 

 

 

 

“Heavy clouds darkened the sky, preventing the moonlight to enlighten the winding road taken by an old broken car. As if it wasn’t enough, a rainstorm weakened the roof of the tiny car, throwing shivers down to the spine. Trees and leafs covered the wet road, accentuating the sinister scenery they were now trapped in. The air was suffocating and the three miserable passengers already known that their end was near. The deafen rain covered the sound of the three man sobbing in unison and now the…”

 

“Jonghyun”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You’re the only one crying” Minho said with annoyance from the passenger seat.

 

Jinki parked his car in front of the restaurant. The weather was bad today and even if it was noon it seemed like the sun was already ready to sleep.

 

“And that was it. The car took his last breath in a deep roar. A thick smoke was escaping from every orifice that could be find. They were in the middle of nowhere, condemned. The end came earlier than expected.”

 

“Jonghyun shut up, we just dragged you out from your house, and you aren’t going to die unless you keep going on with your petty story” Minho shoot.

 

“I was well at home before you had the brilliant idea to kidnap me”

 

They stepped inside the tiny restaurant with a retro design and sat at a table without a word. A waitress came to take their order and they silently process to swallow their lunch.

 

“The food was tasteless and unappetizing, the two vicious men were staring at the other with malicious and mischievous eyes, a smile put on their sinful mouth…”

 

“Stop narrating! We didn’t drag you here to see you act like this. This is petty” Minho hissed with exasperation.

 

“Right, you should have let me alone. I can handle all of it on my own you see”

 

Minho mocked. “Sure, you look great indeed. Look at you! My friend isn’t like this”

 

“I get it, I’m only your friend when I look good”

 

Minho was caught off guard, his mouth wide open not sure of what to say. Jinki who has been quiet since the beginning finally decide to prevent his friend from going for the throat.

 

“What did I do to deserve such kind of friend? You both are the same!”

 

 He was surprise by Minho’s reaction. It was only a few hours after he was retrieving him at the bar. At first he was glad to see that his friend wasn’t as devastated as he was expected but his harsh tone toward Jonghyun let him think that it wasn’t maybe the case.

 

His two friends were in an almost similar situation. One has just been left by his girlfriend because “he wasn’t who she thought he was”, the other was abandoned by his boyfriend without a word.

 

A bunch of conqueror, really.

 

He wasn’t sure if there were a break up that hurt less than another but Jonghyun seemed deeply broken. Even if it wasn’t recent, he still hasn’t turn the page and dragged everyone in his sorrow. He hadn’t have the chance to get an explanation or neither had he the chance to say his farewell and he was convinced that all of this was his fault. Jinki couldn’t deny that they weren’t the best couple he knew, always fighting, yelling and fighting again but he believed that what was happening between them was strong. He was probably wrong.

 

“Let’s go somewhere,” he finally spoke. They didn’t object more than ready to leave the place and paid for their meals. They left the restaurant the stomach still half empty while he heard Minho mumbled a “last time I let Jinki choose the place”.

 

“Drop me home then” Jonghyun said as soon they reach their car.

 

“I will. Just after”

 

Jinki drove his now two quiet friends to a place they know too well.

 

“Do you think I’m in the mood for that” Jonghyun mummed. It wasn’t a question and eventually Jonghyun dropped off the car without complaining and walked to their favorite bowling place. They enthusiastically played a few games, Jinki ball never seemed to find the skittles while the other two were busy competing in a not always fair battle. Minho defeat cries could be heard time to time but it was enjoyable.

 

They were finally seating around a drink at the end of the day. Minho was talking cheerfully to an absent-minded Jonghyun while Jinki exhausted by the day was watching over his friends. It has been a long time since they gathered like this and it will probably be the last before a while.

 

Minho and he will soon start to work…

 

 

 

 

That night, Kibum was lying on the sofa, watching a soap with Mrs. Cho next to him. He wasn’t his thing but he needed something to fill his mind before he could find a way to get painfully rid of that parasite named Lee Taemin.

 

Taemin came into his life one year ago now. At first he thought it was a blessing that the young guy almost rolled under the wheels of his car the day he met him. He seemed so vulnerable, so lost that he wanted to protect him. Today he couldn’t believe he have thought that way. He wasn’t over the salty Americano yet and probably wouldn’t before a while. Taemin has gone too far.

 

The TV was now showing a bed scene in which two bodies were moving in slow motions under a white sheet. Before his eyes, they looked more like two slugs trying to reproduce in a disgusting way. He blushed and looked away, suddenly aware of Mrs. Cho presence. It was starting becoming ridiculous how he still felt embarrassed to watch this kind of scene in the company of an older person. He was himself in age after all and it was something natural between two adults. Human were mean to procreate, weren’t they?

 

His thought were interrupted by a dark shadow blocking his eyes from the light of the TV screen. Taemin was standing in front of him, handling a fresh drink to Mrs. Cho before turning to him another drink in his hand.

 

“I swear hyung, I come clean”.

 

Kibum looked at him with suspicious eyes but took the drink anyway. Taemin sat down between the two and opened his can. Nothing was said while there were watching an old CEO kissing a woman who didn’t look like his actual wife and who Kibum was sure was his rival in the last episode. He didn’t try to understand what was happening and remembered the fresh drink he had in his hand when the wet can began running down his pant.

 

“Shit” He looked up, searching a piece of tissue with his eyes and met for a few seconds Taemin’s gaze. He looked like his was about to say a malicious comment, his lips trembling but was trying hard to contain himself. Kibum stood up and reached for the tissue on the coffee table disposed in front of the TV.

 

“What is happening again between the two of you?” Mrs. Cho broke the silence. She didn’t once lose contact with her favorite characters but anybody could feel the awkwardness that filled the room when Taemin entered.

 

“Nothing” the two boys replied in unison. “That must the first time I see you agree that fast” she said in an amused voice. They said nothing, Kibum wiping his pant and the can with the tissue. Silence fell once again.

 

“I guess it’s time for me to move out”.

 

Taken aback Kibum glanced at Taemin. “Euh?” He knew the past few days were not sunshine and happiness between them but he didn’t think it was a reason enough to come to that end. After all, it was his home too and they were mature enough to come to an agreement. The thing was they were just too lazy and maybe in the end a bit childish to do it.

 

“Taemin what are you saying? How can you say that in front of me? Was I too nice to you to let you think you could left the house as you want?” There were anger and sadness in Mrs. Cho voice and Taemin couldn’t help but feeling bad for that.

 

She was the one who adopted him with an open heart without him saying anything. If he was able to live that way and work it was all thanks to her. She gave him a home and a salary and now he felt like an idiot. He never prepared her for that and he was feeling like a beggar. “My boy you are not going anywhere until a badass girl comes to me and fights me to get you out of here!”

 

Taemin smiled as he let his mind drew the scene for him. He could imagine too well Mrs. Cho fighting to protect him from all evil people trying to desecrate his ‘pure soul’ like she liked to call. She was overprotective towards Kibum and him and kind of funny too.

 

Kibum reached for Taemin’s hand, the one holding the drink and pushed it toward his mouth so the can could brush his lips. “Drink, you idiot” he said before returning his attention to the screen showing off the credits.

 

The guy was the biggest trouble magnet in knew but he still was like a little brother for him. He sure will regret his thought tomorrow but if Taemin was about to leave the house it could only be because he would be the one kicking his ass out.

 

They didn’t discuss much about the issue after, busy to make fun of the actors and the scenario as another episode was broadcasting. More exactly, Kibum and Taemin were the one bashing the show while the lady of the house was trying hard to defend her favorite characters.

 

“I swear that old man had laid down all the women of his neighborhood! Can you believe it? That gross man!”

 

“He must be the father of half of the kids!” Taemin outbid loudly.

 

They could hear Mrs. Cho hooted. “You can’t understand! I will give everything to have the chance with him!”

 

“Ugh???” The boys shoot in a same voice, offering her their best disgust face.

 

“You don’t know how it is to be alone for a middle-aged woman. Come to me when your two ignorant ass will know what life is”

 

They argued some more, loud voices echoing in the living room as usual.

 

 

 

 

Jinki absently moved his cup of black coffee to his lips, one hand holding the newspaper. He was enjoying his last free day in the best of way, lounging on the sun deck of an old café. The sun was high and was throwing back a comforting warmth for the first time this week, as if it was saying to him his last goodbye. He smiled, his face up to the sky, leaving the warm air caress his face. Once the heat became almost unbearable, he plunged back his attention to the headlines of the newspaper his was holding.

 

There weren’t nothing really eye-catching, just random articles mainly about politics and some economic analysis. He turned the pages, smiling at articles about entertainment and showbiz related reports. It must indeed be really entertaining that was the only thing that could explain why it filled almost five pages of the thirty-paged paper. He chuckled. People always loved to bury their nose in other people business. It must be what humans do the best.

 

He was now near the end of the journal when his eyes landed on an article on a subject he knew too well. He read it with his eyebrows furrowed.

 

_“With a number of victims constantly decreasing - from twenty cases per week in the beginning of the phenomenon to barely a few today, the Authorities have believed that the smuggling of ODD was coming to an end. But the recent events showed that they were too optimistic. Early this week, the police made an unfortunate discovery during the raid of a hideout supposed to belong to a drug dealer. Instead, they came across a house filled with unconscious young people. The police already took contact with the victims' family and they were all transferred to different nearby hospitals._

_As a reminder, it was estimated that a total of 2852 victims suffered in a direct manner of the consequences of ODD’s black market for the past few years. More than a hundred beds of the country hospitals’ were still occupied by victims and approximatively the same number were hospitalized at home, under the eyes of their helpless relatives. The allocated number of death was of 451 for the three last years, making it one of the most dangerous drugs in circulation. The most affected are young adults, representing over 70% of users._

_Authorities recommend the population to stay away from any kind of traffic and to sensitize relatives of the issue. A call toll-free line have opened to help those in need and help to dismantle the organization. The Government opened up yesterday: "We promise to do everything in our power to protect the population and eradicate the evil that eats the country for the last years." A campaign of sensitization has been set up all over the country in hope to maintain awareness to the general population and the target group._

_There is currently no available treatment but a team from the Health Agency is working for several years to develop one. But the task became difficult since the tragic incident that occurred one year ago at the drug’s developer laboratory which has slowed the researches. Mr. Chansung Park, director of the Health Agency has revealed in a brief interview that they were about to resort to other means to end this catastrophe and asked the population to anticipate the results. However, he didn’t go into details, keeping from eyes their plans.”_

 

ODD changed his life three years ago. At that time, he was only an ordinary guy trying to survive in his medical school. Survive was exactly the best term to describe how he would felt that time. He was first approach by an intriguing and mysterious man, asking him if he was ready to leave the life he was living until now. If he was a normal person or at least, if he was a sane person, he would probably ask millions questions before answering the strange unknown man. Maybe he wasn’t normal. Anyway, he didn’t thought much.

 

Of course he was.

 

This was how he entered the team under guidance of the Health Agency. He quickly learned that it wasn’t a coincidence, they didn’t approach him just because he was the most depressive 23 years old boy of the country. He was there for his skills. After all he was one of the top students of his school.

 

He could have probably been a good doctor if only he had have the aura and demeanor that came along. That should be the real reason why he had been choose among the best elements of the school. He didn’t look like a doctor. Or at least it was the reasons he believed they chose him.

 

The fact was that he was working for them for three years until now. In a first place, his task was to help the research team for a better understanding of the thing they were dealing with. Then, he would be summoned time to time to help the scientific police on the scene and would be request for investigation needs.

 

The drug was something new, something they haven’t seen before and above all something they would never imagine could even exist.

 

The only thing they knew for sure was that only one pill of that thing was able to bury the consumer in a coma-like state. It wasn’t a long term effect, the user would recover his senses a few days after the intake, in an almost supernatural way.

 

They couldn’t understand the exact effects, all they knew was that the aftermaths were similar to any actual heavy drug in circulation. The consumer would feel high and better for a short time and would end up addicted. And it was when the drug began to become dangerous. It was also when his role began to take a different turn.

 

It was now starting to rain. The sun was hiding behind heavy clouds, like he was trying to chase away his thought. It was his last day off, he should enjoy it before he couldn’t anymore. He suddenly remembered Jonghyun and his odd narration few days ago.

 

_“Heavy clouds darkened the sky, preventing the moonlight to enlighten the winding road taken by an old broken car…”_

 

He smiled, his friend was really something.

 

 

 

 

_Ring ring ring_

 

The alarm echoed in the tiny room. Kibum groaned trying to find the stupid phone. He fingered blindly the mattress next to him and after a few long seconds, his fingertips finally brushed the cold surface of his cellphone screen. He grabbed it, turning off the best he could the alarm, blinded by the light. He then threw away the phone at the end of the bed and sighed.

 

It was Saturday and he forgot to deactivate the alarm. Today was his day off, he was on duty last weekend and now he would have a hard time falling asleep again.

 

After more than a half hour wriggling in his bed trying to find sleep, he eventually woke up and went lazily to the kitchen to take his breakfast, his feet wiping the floor. Taemin was there too. He didn't know if it was because he was working today or if he had other plans. Anyway, he didn't bother asking.

 

He sat in front of him, taking a bowl and pouring cereals inside. Taemin moved his still sleepy eyes towards him and immediately plunged back his attention on his own bowl, like if his head was too heavy for that.

 

"No more milk" he mumbled, taking a spoon of his cereals as Kibum was grabbing the carton.

 

Kibum sighed. Shit, he would have to do the groceries today. Taemin stood up, took his bag which was lying in the corner of the room and opened the kitchen door which led outside. Kibum threw at him a "Have a nice day", and Taemin replied with a roar before exited without looking back.

 

Once alone, he took Taemin's bowl still half full and poured the content of his owl bowl inside, mixing the cereals with the rest of Taemin milk. It would make it for today.

 

Once his breakfast over, he took a shower and stayed in his bedroom.

 

He poured the wax from the tube in the palm of his hand and set his amazing hair in the hairstyle he wanted. With his expert fingers he managed without much effort to reproduce a sumptuous pompadour style. He winked at his reflection in the mirror, self-satisfied. He was only wearing a blue towel wrapped around his waist and was still a bit wet from his shower. He looked fine.

 

He turned on his stereo and a slow jam started to play. The flow was slow and rousing. He naturally began to move his hips to the rhythm of the song. His movements were exaggerated, but he didn’t mind, taking advantage of the comfort of his bedroom.

 

He contemplated himself in the mirror. His thin silhouette looked pretty good in his eyes. He wasn’t really muscular but his subscription to a fitness center Taemin forced him to join was beginning to show its effects.

 

His waist was slim but the movements his hips were making on the beat looked rather sensual. He looked up to his face to find a pair of dark brown feline eyes glancing intensely at him. A smile stretched his sharp lips, highlighting the dimples on his high cheeks.

 

He pouted at himself. He looked pretty and attractive, even though average. He didn’t quite understand why he was still single, why nobody seemed to be interested. It wasn’t like he was picky, he was interesting in both gender and would easily talk to new people. The rare persons who had the gut to make the first move wasn’t exactly what he was searching for.

 

Well...maybe he was indeed a little too picky.

 

He was still awkwardly dancing and in deep thought as another slow jam started. He has always loved the rhythm of this kind of song, a mix of sensual, playful and soothing ambiance, creating in some cases almost a kinky atmosphere.

 

As he was fleshing his legs and emphasizing more his hip thrusts, the door of his bedroom opened all of a sudden in his back. He saw Mrs. Cho’s head popped out of his half-opened door in the mirror. He froze in the middle of his frenetic dance. He heard the woman whistle.

 

“Jesus I should have met you twenty year earlier! Look at that!” she teased. He straightened himself and looked at her feigning a disgusted face. “Hey what are you looking at? Pervert” he retorted, joking around. He stretched his butt out in her direction, shaking it lightly in a comical manner.

 

“Hey, don’t do this kind of disgusting thing if you don’t even have a decent butt”.

 

He froze for real this time, slowly turning around. That female voice wasn’t Mrs. Cho’s. Behind the lady of the house was standing his friend Minjoo who was silently dying of laughter. He blushed, embarrassed by the situation.

 

“I leave you two alone” Mrs Cho finally said, grinning and winking at Kibum. The latter sighed ignoring her innuendo as she left and he greeted his friend, flustered. She laughed that time loudly, took a step back after muttering an “I give you five minutes” and closed the door. He could still hear her giggling on the other side of the door.

 

Alone in his room, he had a burning desire to crash his head on the wall. He was so embarrassing!

 

He took his towel off, sweeping his wet body with sweat despite the fact he had just take a shower. He resisted the urge to jump with frustration, not knowing what attitude adopting to his friend. Why would he always find a way to embarrassed himself?

 

He put on a pair of black underwear and a jean and grabbed the first shirt he could find, a casual white one. He breathed heavily trying to calm himself. He was acting like a teen and felt stupid and was about to give her more reason to make fun of him.

 

He shook his head and actively put a composed expression on his face and he went to the door. He jumped when the door opened up on his friend, bent at the height of the door knob, a wide grin hiding her eyes under her eyelids.

 

“Bouh” She straightened and entered the room without waiting for an invitation. She found her way to his bed and threw herself in, hugging the unfold blanket. “I missed you, it’s been sooo long”. Kibum softly smiled. “I miss you too”.

 

Minjoo looked up at him with a confused stare. “Actually I was talking to your bed… but yeah I missed you too”.

 

She sat on the edge of the bed, a new grin on her lips. She gestured him to sit next to her and he did. She ran a hand through his hair messing around. “Sorry I couldn’t take you seriously with that hair.” Ah yes, he forgot to put his hair in order earlier!

 

He helped her designed his usual side parting and began to examine her face. It was still tiny, her features were still soft and tiny, and her body was still tiny. “Good to see you, you didn’t change” he finally spoke.

 

To say the truth, there was no reason her face would change since the last time they saw each other, that was actually 4 months ago. He was used to see her face every day when she was still working at the clinic. But since she decided to make an end to her career he barely had the chance to see her.

 

She was now working for a publishing house, assuring him that she was more useful behind a desk than in a clinic and that she was satisfied with it. He didn’t object, not knowing that was meaning moving out miles away from here.

 

“I can’t say the same to you! I didn’t know you had such a great body” She praised him both proud and mocking. Kibum took the compliment but pretended being offended.

 

“You should thank Taemin for it, he’s the one who compelled me working out” She gasped, side eying him. “Yah not that way! I mean… Yah I didn’t miss you naughty mind!” Minjoo chuckled vociferously. She loved to tease him, his reactions were always on point and to be honest, he also missed it.

 

“By the way, where is he? I didn’t see him on my way here”.

 

He frowned. “Should I know what he does in the day?”

 

Did she come to see him or to spend the day with Taemin? She was there for less than 5 minutes and she was already looking for him. _What an ungrateful friend_ , he thought, internally sulking.

 

She pouted in response. “I just wanted to greet him, I can’t stay long.” He opened his mouth before closing it, offended. “Why did you bother coming here then? You could have just message me a good morning” Now he was grumpy.

 

“And missed you twerking? Nooo way”

 

He tried hard not but he couldn’t help smiling, rolling his eyes exasperated by his lack of control.

 

“Anyway I have something for you” These simple words were enough to pull him out of his grumpiness. He was now listening with a vivid interest. “For me?”

 

“Yeah” She grabbed her bag still hanging on her shoulder, and pulled out a book. She put it into his hand, proudly.

 

“You might need this” He threw her a questioning look.

 

“This is the first book I revised. Think of me when you read it.” His lips parted in an “oh” and he smiled widely, shaking the book and improvising a congratulation ceremony. Once they celebrated jumping and laughing to their heart’s content, she stood up.

 

“I have to go now”

 

“Wait” He whined not wanting to let her go.

 

“Don’t worry, I will be back soon! Promise!” She hugged him, a hand petting his back. She smiled while saying her last words before hurrying up outside “Nurse Taesun is still waiting for you to ask her out you bad guy!”

 

He smiled back and waved at Minjoo who was already out of his room.

 

 

 

 

“Are you okay Jinki?” The deep voice roused the guy out of his thoughts. He kept his eyes still on the window, and an absent-minded “Yeah” escaped from his lips.

 

“You look a bit too serious the past few days” Minho replied with concern.

 

“I’m fine”

 

“You’re not”

 

Neither of the two spoke, resuming their previous activities. The silence was beginning to become unbearable when Jinki finally spoke his mind.

 

“I’m just trying to prepare myself mentally”. Minho smirked at the decomposed face his friend was making. He rarely had the chance to see him like that. It was creepy but also kind of funny. He looked quite human.

 

“You are scared”

 

Jinki sent him an icy glare.

 

“Just shut up Choi Minho” The latter just grinned, amused. He loved too much to get him out of his temper.

 

“I am just a little nervous” Jinki confessed. “We have read a lot, we have heard a lot about this, but never actually experienced it… I wonder-”

 

“I wonder…I wonder…! You think too much hyung! That’s why it’s never a good thing to bring smart people into this kind of business.” He was speaking in a really serious tone and continued. “Unknown make them loose their shit. Stop thinking! Look at you, you look like a man about to be torn apart from his crown jewels. Relax, I will keep your balls safe. Friends are mean for this, aren’t they? Look at me, you’ll not alone I will be there with you”

 

The words escaped from Minho’s mouth in one breath. Jinki glared angrily at him. He wasn’t in a state to joke around.

 

“That’s the problem!” he hissed.

 

“I am scared too, hyung” Jinki already noticed it, and that didn’t help at all.

 

“Minho? Do me a favor. Shut up”

 

The latter pouted but executed, putting his earphones on and closing his eyes. They were seating in the train towards their base, in the South of the country. Jinki pressed his forehead against the window and closed his eyes. It was early in the morning and he was still sleepy and at the same time he was trying hard to escape from Minho, the nervousness of his friend increasing dramatically his own.

 

The train arrived at the dock few hours after and they came off. Their steps led them in front of a huge complex of buildings, beyond the city center. The facades were made of stone giving it an old but cozy look. It consisted of a central block surrounded by smaller ones linked to the main. The central building was long and high and consisted of 6 floors.

 

The young men approached the automatic doors of the entrance. They entered the lobby and promptly greeted the staff who were too occupied with their computer screens to notice them and headed for the security post. They pulled out their badge and placed them on the detector of the cross-beam under the watchful eyes of the security guards.

 

Then, they headed to the elevator of the main block where they climbed to the fifth floor. They were alone when they pulled out of the elevator. In front of them was an inverted T-shaped. In the central corridor, in front of them, down the hall was the main office, their superior’s.

 

They walked to the entrance and knocked against the massive door. They entered when a voice inside ask them to. They went through the door to discover their superior, sitting behind his wooden desk, facing one of their colleague.

 

"Jinki. Minho. We were waiting for you! I was wondering if you would dare gratify us with your presence today." The voice of his superior slammed while the young men bowed apologetically. They quickly took place next to Jieun, Minho at her left followed by Jinki, avoiding the gaze of their colleague irritated by their repeated lateness.

 

“Then we can start” their superior, Leeteuk said.

 

 

 

 

“This is awful”

 

“Goddammit I can’t believe it! What’s wrong with this man? His own family!”

 

“That bastard!”

 

Kibum was having lunch in the staff living room with his colleagues at work. They were commenting the reportage on the TV news about a man manslaughtering the members of his own family including his wife and his two children for obscure unknown reasons.

 

At the end of the news, they left one by one and went back to their duties. Few minutes after he was alone with nurse Taesun. Kibum cursed himself for coming for lunch late and cursed his friend Minjoo as well, the presence of his colleague made him feel uncomfortable right now. She was giving him weird glare while wriggling on her chair. She was obviously embarrassed and he would probably be for the same reason as him. He plucked up courage and looked up. He wasn't the kind of guy to beat around the bush.

 

"Taesun..."

 

She tuned to him and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

 

"I know Kibum"

 

He looked at her puzzled not sure to understand what she was saying.

 

"Don't take too seriously what Minjoo says, you know her." She paused, looking at him.

 

"She came by my house yesterday, we just talk a little about this and that... You know her and how her mind works..." She was having a hard time finding her words, her cheeks turning in a light red.

 

Kibum didn’t have time to say nothing as they heard a fuss coming from the communal room. They quickly stood up and rushed where the noises were coming from.

 

When Kibum entered the room, two of the patients were fighting. A short man was grabbing a taller one by the collar while the other had his arms closed around him. They rocked against the furniture creating a mess where their bodies bumped, various broken items were scattered on the floor.

 

Apart, the others resident were watching the confrontation from afar and some were cheering loudly. Two nurses were already trying to separate the two fighter but their frantic gestures made it hard to approach.

 

Kibum went in, yelling ferociously at the two fighting. “STOP IT!!”

 

The room was suddenly silent, the others automatically going back to their preview activities as if nothing happened. The two opponents were startled for a moment, but resumed the quarrel with less fervor however. Kibum rushed between the two and the other nurses took advantage and grabbed the combatants’ hands and pined them under their back.

 

The residents didn’t like to open an argument in Kibum presence. Of course, it happened but Kibum was reputed for his strident yelled and his bad mood when fight happened. Some were scared, others were just annoyed by the man screams, din and rude manners. They escorted the fighters to their bedroom, not allowing them to go out until dinner.

 

 

 

 

All was as usual when Kibum went back to the communal room except the mess that some staff was trying to put in order. He heard congratulation support from his colleagues to him and the others man helping to handle the battle. Fights were always dreaded because they never knew at first if it was a banal altercation or a crisis from their mental illness.

 

Anyway, the rest of the day went without much problems and he left work a little later than usual to verify the state of the two men fighting. They were apparently fighting because they didn’t agree on the channel to watch and it made Kibum scrunched his nose. He didn’t expect that the fight was about such frivolous thing. He always tended to forget that he was working with mentally instable people.

 

Kibum entered the café and headed to his habitual seat. He instantly looked up to see what Taemin's what doing, still suspicious. He wasn't here. Good. The other worker was showing him his back, probably already confectioning his Americano. He sat comfortably and pulled out of his bag Minjoo’s book. She finally did it and he was happy for his friend. The cover had bright colors and looked like a book for kids. The title wasn’t going against his thoughts. “Pinky”.

 

Apart from the title, they were any more information on the cover. He frowned at the originality of the book, not knowing if it was a current thing and if it was a law that decide the content of a book. When he opened it, it was to discover the same simplicity. The book begins directly in the story.

 

_“I am in the kitchen looking with wide eyes at my dad. He is putting bread into the toaster while his other hand is busy pressing some fresh oranges. I lick my lips watching with envy the juicy liquid fulling the recipient. Dad puts toast and orange juice in front of me with his casual smile. The things I like the most after my dad. I am happy._

 

_I cut my toast in two, giving a part to my imaginary friend Pinky. I smile at my friend when he says that he doesn’t like toast. Then I smile at my dad. He doesn’t like when I feed Pinky but he smiles back anyway. I love my dad._

 

_I reach for my orange glass but I take it wrong and it suddenly fall, wetting the tablecloth. I hear my father hiss and he looks at me with disapproval eyes. I lower my gaze. He tells me that it was nothing and he serves me another drink with a grin. I smile at my father kindness and it make me delighted. My dad is such a nice person._

 

_Anyway, it wasn’t my fault, it was Pinky’s._

 

_I am a 6 years old elementary school boy and my best friend’s name is Pinky. Some adults think that I am crazy and some think that it’s something normal for my age. But I know my friend is real and he doesn’t care what people say.”_

 

Kibum smiled. It was one of the sweetest thing he ever read. Well, he doesn’t usually read a lot, and certainly not children story and this was cute.

 

The more he read, the more he was fond of the book. He was proud of his friend and the author did a great job in him humble opinion.

 

 

 

 

Behind his desk, Leeteuk was watching gravely his team members. From now on, things were getting complicated. Just thinking of it made him nervous, and he was doing his best to keep it hiding from the others. Managing in the best of ways his men was what worried him the most.

 

His team and he were secretly working from the eyes of the citizen. Since a new hard drug with unprecedented properties was circulating, everything had changed. The arrival on the market of smuggling of ODD - the popular name that was assigned - had rose the alarm of the highest authorities. ODD was the abbreviation for One Different Dimension or Othello Different Dimension for others.

 

The original aim of the company that developed the drug, Othello, wasn’t at first the results achieved. Like a lot of things, they just wanted to experiment and create something new to stand out from others, from competition. But eventually, it went wrong. They conceived something beyond imagination which once in the wrong hands was the biggest mistake they could have created.

 

ODD was wreaking havoc. It arrived at the right time, exactly when the population needed it. And, little by little, it swallowed the residents one by one. According to a report from the beginning of the year, a large number of young people had tried it at one point. This was alarming.

 

The recipe for success of ODD was simple: to give people what they wanted most in the world, something new, exciting, something that permitted to escape briefly from society without suffering the constant pressure of current lifestyle.

 

ODD did it very well. A pill was enough to make people touch their utopian desire with the tip of their fingers. One pill was enough to immediately immerse the user in a temporary coma. While the consumer is physically unconscious, his subconscious meanwhile is sent in an alternative and presumed fake universe, the _other dimension_.

 

It was hard to define what it was exactly. The testimonies were not always in accordance but they all agreed that during their apparent coma they were all conscious, they were _alive_. The world they were in was _real_. And mainly similar to the actual world. The emotions they were feeling were _real_. The things they were touching were nothing but _real_.

 

This had caused panic throughout the medical profession, the experts had never seen such things. The victims were required to be maintained under food assistance. Despite their vital functions intact, their EEG showed a lesser but existing brain activity.

 

It was at current the only certain fact that scientists could issue, the effect of the drug was _normally_ temporary. The substance dissipated slowly from the body, the consumer slowly taking possession of their body, their mind back away from the perfect experience they had taste.

 

So perfect that it was sometimes difficult to return to reality. It was this phenomenon that most worries the authorities. Some couldn’t bear living in the real world. An addiction could be put in place quickly, much faster than the usual drugs. And everybody knew what came along.

 

Overdose.

 

And the consumer fell into a deeper coma, his mind losing all connection with reality.

 

It could count per thousand today the number of victims of the perversion of this drug, those consumers whose subconscious refused to return to live in this world. And the phenomenon was not going to be accommodating. If no one intervened to stop the carnage, he was unaware of the disaster in which it would plunge the country.

 

Fortunately, the use of the drug was less common than other drugs now, the pills sold at the higher price and the stock rare, today almost limited. But for how long?

 

“Hyung, I know I'm quite yeah…beautiful, but it's starting to become embarrassing.”

 

Leeteuk was fired suddenly from his thought by Minho's voice, the eyes of the young man watching him in a mocking look. He frowned, irritated and looked straight to the three people he had brought to his office. He straightened himself in his chair and sighed. The task would be daunting. Especially with the three horns that he had chosen!

 

He cursed himself, regretting afterwards to have formed such a team. What was going through his head at that moment? He sighed at the obvious answer: he had a blind confidence in those three. Both physically and mentally, he believed in their ability to perform the task. Too bad that it was difficult to manage these three phenomenon...

 

“Um ... Captain? Are you okay?”

 

Leeteuk turned his gaze to Jieun visibly worried about the silence of his superior. The latter nodded and grabbed a stack of documents that laid at the left corner of his office.

 

“Read this”

 

He handed it to Jieun who stood there just in front. The latter frowned and grabbed one of the document, giving the rest to her colleague at her right. Minho took one and the last copy was now in Jinki’s hands.

 

Sitting nervously behind his desk, Leeteuk was watching the reaction of the three young people while they were reading an old report he made months ago to the head of the organization. Jinki lips were pulled on a thin line as he turned the first pages while. On the other end of the desk, Jieun was absorbed in her reading, her eyebrows in a grave expression. Sitting in between, Minho remained impassive.

 

“So…there were a survivor from ODD’s laboratory explosion? I thought they all died that day”

 

Minho voice was low but firmed. He frowned, perplexed. The explosion that occurred one year ago at Othello’s lab but also headquarters, had killed all the employee including the CEO,  scientists and others employees. All the documents were lost, burning by fire or in million pieces. Nothing that could be exploited survived.

 

This was a terrible accident that chocked the country. But after the mourning came the hope. It had never be proved that Othello were the one providing the pills however. That’s why they couldn’t made the lab to close. They had any proof that they still produced ODD. But however, with Othello’s lab not existing no more, the traffic decreased and the number of victims too.

 

They came to the conclusion that they really were the one to do it secretly. But it was too late now. And the accident made it more difficult to them to investigate. They didn’t really know who they were fighting against. What they were fighting against.

 

The dealer were selling their stocks and people believed that the ODD era would soon come to an end one day or another. But they were wrong. It never really ended.

 

Experts believed that the short paused was due to a reorganization of the black market. Some raid had demonstrate that a great quantity of the drug were still available. They weren’t sure if it was due to an initial large amount of stock or if there were a secondhand production.

 

“We thought the same until few months ago. One of our employee recognize one of the men working at the lab”

 

He saw Minho opening his mouth with consternation after his revelation. “What kind of person can live as if nothing happen after such tragedy??”

 

“Probably someone who lived in a hospital bed since the incident?”  He asked rhetorically.

 

“He was severely injured?”

 

“No”

 

Leeteuk paused, observing his members. They were listening to him attentively. He could feel their eyes glaring intensely at him. He closed his eyes and talked in a firm voice. “He is in a coma” He could heard sound of astonishment coming from the other side of the desk. They were smart, they understood what it meant.

 

“He took the drug…”

 

It was Jinki who spoke this time. He opened his eyes watching the worried faces in front of him.

 

“Yeah and probably more than he should. He has never awaken the doctors said, he must have taken a good shot”

 

“Then it was voluntary…” Jieun guessed.

 

“Exactly. We believe it’s because-”

 

“Because he escaped. He has hidden himself in the other world.” Jinki sentence was followed by a heavy silence. They probably already realized how critical the situation was by now.

 

“Do you know why?”

 

He left the question in suspense and he didn’t answer his own question, his team probably figured it out already.

 

“The man is kept locked here, in our premises. With us he is safe, under cover of the organization.”

 

Leeteuk stood up, skirted by his office and opened the door of his office. “Follow me”.

 

 

 

 

Leeteuk led his team to one of the small block surrounding the main building. The Medical section. It was like a miniature hospital where they could treat important people under high surveillance and in the greatest secrecy. It was where the most dangerous people were kept captivated and where the one needed for inquiry stayed.

 

They entered the building by one of the hallway of the main hall. They walked past the security guard who just look at them when Leeteuk nodded to indicate that they were all with him. After a few meters, they were in front of a dozen of identical doors. Leeteuk stopped right in front of the room number 3. He turned the handle and they all entered in.

 

The bedroom was like any ordinary hospital room. A bed was in the middle surrounding by medical equipment, a monitor and a humidifier.

 

“This is our man”

 

Jinki looked up to the bed the man showed to him with his hand. First, he didn’t recognize the pale face lying on the cushions. There were messy black hair all around the face, hiding at some part his face. His features seemed tired and deadpan, like his was sick for years. He looked like he was in his early 20’ despite his hollow cheeks and prominent cheekbones which gave him a grave and almost morbid look.

 

He felt Minho tense next to him. He was himself watching the man with astonishment and confusion. No, it couldn’t!??

 

He swallowed hard feeling like something wasn’t right. The man in front of him couldn’t be the one he knew. It looked up at Minho with expectation, waiting for him to tell him he was wrong, that his view was tricking him. But the latter was fixing the comatose man agape and wide-eyed.

 

Jinki then slowly drew near the bed, still not wanting to believe his eyes.

 

“Taemin…?”

 

 

 

 

"Yes...I am on my way...right...cucumber…paprika...ok..ok…mmh…yeah….see you later"

 

Kibum made an end to the phonecall and turned right at the intersection. He was on his way home when Mrs. Cho asked him to do late groceries. She had guests for lunch tomorrow and forget half of the ingredients.

 

Kibum smiled to himself, his hands on the wheel and eyes fixed on the stripes on the road. The woman must be the most convivial and sociable person he ever known but she was surely the most forgettable when she was under stress. And as much as she loved having guest even god knew that it made her losing her self-control. She was a perfectionist and couldn't bear deceiving people.

 

At this late hour the traffic was light and almost inexistent at some places. He stopped at a red light and looked for the clock, hoping that the commercial was still open. He knew the supermarket closed around midnight and that he had a lot of time before the closing but just thinking about how Mrs. Cho will release her stress on him if he came back empty handed made him nervous.

 

As the light turned to green, he drove to a small alley, turning away from the main road. He had always preferred to use small road in the middle of the city where he could feel life rather than the empty highway where he only had trees and smoking factories as companion.

 

 

 

He was singing the list of groceries in his head to be sure to not forget anything when he saw something literally materialized under his eyes, right just in front of his car. Startled, he just had the reflex to immediately press his right foot on the brake with all his strength. He could hear the tires scraped onto the asphalt with a piercing din. He saw the shape disappearing under the front of his car and his breath stopped. He could feel his heart ripping his ear-drum and his hand tighten the wheel, his knuckle becoming white under the grip. " _What the hell was that??_ "

 

It took a few long seconds for Kibum to come back to reality and process what had just happened. He unbuckled his seatbelt harshly and rushed outside, throwing himself on the ground right beside the car. His looked under the car with fear, his eyes pausing on a bunch of black hair.

 

"Shiit" he hissed when he realized that the corpse was lying on the front wheels. He reached his hand seeking for a neck and a pulse when he saw the hairs moved and two glowing eyes looking up at him. He held his breath and reach towards the face and place a hand on the ground to support his head so he can rest safety.

 

He took the opportunity to look around him. They were alone in the small street, nobody seemed to have witness the scene.

 

"God are you okay?? I'm so so sorry. Can you understand what I'm saying? Are you fine?" He saw two eyes moving frantically, panic inside. He seemed lost, disoriented and he could hear him panting. “It’s okay, I'll call an ambulance, don't move. Look at me, can you speak?" He was trying to decipher his state and keep him awake. But suddenly the man beside him removed his head from Kibum's hand and started to stretch, pulling away from the wheels. "Hey don't move you're hurt don't worsen y..."

 

 "I'm...I'm... oka..y" the man blubbered with a low but deep voice. He wriggled out from under the car with much efforts. "It fucking hurts!" He finally hissed with a loud voice this time.

 

Kibum watched carefully the man straighten himself, ready to run help him if he needed. He looked up at him, grabbing the dark-haired man by the arm when he closed his eyes, dizzy. "Hey hey easy" Kibum heard him hiss and felt him trying to release himself from his grip.

 

"Everything is alright, leave me" The stranger turned around from him without a glance and began to walk away. He could felt that he was trying to escape from him as if he didn't want to deal with him. But the man flinched and lose his balance. Kibum grabbed him just before he collapsed on the ground. "Come with me, I'll drive you to the hospital" He realized that his proposition didn't please him when he moved away from him angry features on his face.

 

"Which part don’t you understand?? I can deal with it on my own, go back to your car" He walked away one more time with unsure steps but Kibum followed him worried, he would not leave him to his fate. Never. His heart was still bouncing hard in his thorax. He was the one who fucking put him in this state!

 

The man didn't looked as good as he was pretending. He was walking dizzily, and furrowed his eyebrows when he realized that Kibum was standing right beside him. They reached a street light that allowed Kibum to see more of the man. He looked ill and his face was covered by sweat. He had in fact dark brown hair and messy hair with bangs sticking on his face because of the sweat. He looked more attentively. No. It wasn’t because of sweat. It was because of blood. _Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

 

"You're bleeding" Kibum yelled, running to him and grabbing the man ignoring his protestations. They struggled few seconds again but the man strength finally vanished and he collapsed in Kibum's arm. "Yah weirdo, you should have listen to me" The other just released a low groan as respond. Kibum dragged him with much efforts to his car. The latter didn’t try to free himself anymore or maybe he hadn’t the strength to anymore.

 

 Kibum opened his back door and pulled the dizzy guy inside, lying on the backseat. He was about to close the door when a weak hand grabbed his arm. He turned his eyes to the man who was watching him with semi closed and imploring eyes.

 

A low whisper escaped from his tired lips "Not the hospital". The man was swallowing with difficulty. Kibum was about to dismissed him when he continued. "Please...”. His eyes were totally closed now, his head resting of the seat and his grip on Kibum loosen. Kibum sighed and closed the door.

 

He was fighting with himself trying hard not to give way to panic. He could swear he has seen the guy appear out of nowhere! And he wasn’t crazy for sure.

 

He looked at the man through the window. He hadn’t dream of all of this, the man was actually unconscious in his car, few drops of blood sticky on his now peaceful face. It looked nothing else but real.

 

An expletive escaped from his lips while a shiver ran down his spine.

 

This reminded him of something…

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> I know the chapter wasn't really interesting and that Jinki and Kibum barely met but the next chapter will focus more on them ^^


	2. Prisoner?

 

 

 

“Your mission is as follows. The three of you will be our intermediate in the ODD world. We imperatively have to find the man.”

 

Leeteuk spoke his eyes entirely focused on his teammates. They were gathered around Taemin’s bed and he was explaining the mission and was giving them the orders.

 

“And no matter the cost. The safety of our country is at stake. You know what will happen if they get a hand on him before us” He added trying to hide his nervousness.

 

In fact, the Government didn’t even know if he has already been found. It could be the case and it would be the worst scenario.

 

Right, Othello didn’t exist anymore but this didn’t prevent some organizations with evil intentions from being greedy to get hold on ODD market. ODD black market was a prosperous one and its sudden disappearance wasn’t a good news for smugglers. 

 

One organization in particular, Exit, owned his power and prolific incomes through this drug smuggling. They had a stranglehold on ODD and must had found a way in the past to compel Othello to work under duress before the incident. The group was currently the biggest threat the Government had to fight against.

 

The highest Authorities knew for a fact that the evil organization had already his base in the other world, and it was problematic. They were ready to do anything to start again their precious smuggling even if they had to resort to unorthodox means. And God knew this didn’t scared them. To them, the challenge was worth it.

 

The Government does not see it that way.

 

They have to make a move.

 

“So what you’re saying is all we have to do is to find him and…and…” Jinki gulped, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. He was trying to find an alternative resort to the evident ending his captain was implying. It couldn’t be that way.

 

 “Find him and make sure he hadn’t say anything to them” He paused, watching carefully his members. He knew that what he was about to tell wouldn’t please them.

 

“Then kill him”

 

He saw Jinki clenching his fist an unreadable expression on his face. “Did all the possible scenarios include us killing him?”

 

“We have to make sure what he knows is forgotten for real, Jinki”

 

“Do you think he knows?” Jinki softly retorted.

 

Leeteuk sighed at the situation. He didn’t expected it to be like this. He has never imagined that the most wanted man of the country would be his team mates’ friend. But he couldn’t go back now. They were trained to this kind of situation, they would make it. He believes in them.

 

“That’s why we have to get rid of him. We can’t speculate on it and risk to fail.”

 

“We can’t speculate and take the life of someone!” Jinki straightened himself and was now raising his voice.

 

“Jinki… You have to keep in mind for what you are working for. You work for the Government, for our people. You can’t risk the life of a thousand citizens just to protect one. Our position remains the same.”

 

Jinki knew it even if he didn’t want to admit it. His work was the priority and he would have to put his feelings in a corner of his head and think of what was the utmost importance. He still couldn’t believe that Taemin was involved in the case. How come he had never noticed it? He knew him through his best friends and nothing of him could have make him believe that he was leaving this kind of life. He didn’t even remember him referring to his job. The situation itself was crazily improbable.

 

 

 

 

“You have 72h to do your job.”

 

They were back to the Medical quarter after a long break. “Of course, you will probably not be able to find what we need during the first missions. I want you for now to get familiar to the world, observe it and tame it. Make connections, investigate quietly and then find our man.”

 

The three others nodded. They knew that the first time they would go to the ODD world they would spend most of the time observing and exploring the new environment. It would be the first time for the three of them and it was crucial to get accustomed to the new kind of world.

 

“Be careful and keep a low profile. It’s all I want you to do this month.”

 

The corridor was empty and Jinki, Minho and Jieun were only giving each other determined and reassuring looks.

 

“We have an anchor solidly built in the ODD World, you will work with their collaboration, they will supply you guns, money and all the things you will need for the mission. When you need something just call the number I gave you earlier, remember it well, it will be the only way to join and make contact with our organization and even between each of you.”

 

Leeteuk gave them a fond smile before saying his last advices.

 

“Don’t risk your life needlessly. Be smart kids”

 

 

 

 

He took the shot glass between two fingers and tossed the light pink beverage inside by circling lightly his wrist. He glanced at the woman in front of him through the semi translucent liquid and smirked. This always was how he would get any girl he wanted, the alcoholic drink acting like a powerful love potion to anyone who would have the misfortune to find favor in Lee Taemin’s eyes, his smile and handsome face were there at the end to seal the spell.

 

He held the drink out to his victim and smiled contently. She accepted it brightly, unaware of the man’s intentions. Taemin would always picked the most innocent looking lamb of the crowd or the one he knew would the difficult to trap into in arms because fuck it wasn’t interesting at all if the game was too easy.

 

He would get laid tonight, he promised himself. And nothing would stop it. He couldn’t care less of what he will bring to bed tonight because he wasn’t staying at home and Kibum and Mrs. Cho couldn’t say anything because they wouldn’t be there to see him or even hear him. He would take the best of this, the past months have been so tense for him, and this work leave was a blessing. He would took good advantage of it for sure as long as he still had time.

 

“So, what’s your sweet name?”

 

“Lee Sora” She said while blushing. Taemin found it cute and dug in it. “ _Sora_? Oh it fits you well. I’m Taemin, nice to meet you _Sora_ ”

 

Taemin’s throat was sore and burned by the strong alcohol he was feeding himself since the start of the party but he was still very lucid. He was only a little tipsy, he wanted a good time and not do anything he’ll regret later.

 

“Am I not a charming man?” he said while winking at the girl offering her a big funny smile. She chuckled and he came closer by a few centimeters.

 

He just smiled again, waiting for an invitation to come even closer.

 

 

 

 

Jinki glanced at his bestfriend lying on a bed beside his own. The meeting has ended and after a few more instructions and a question/answer interview, they were conducted in a room, identical to Taemin’s but larger, allowing 3 beds to fit in.

 

Minho and Jieun were already deep asleep, nurses and doctors around their beds, checking their vitals and arranging the monitors. They were instructed to take the ODD pill one after the other to give time to the medical corpse to do their work and make sure all was alright. It was now his turn, Leeteuk standing straight and still in front of his bed, arms crossed over his chest.

 

The latter nodded to him and Jinki took a deep breath before guiding the white and round pill into his mouth which instantly melt and a few second after, it was in his system.

 

He shut his eyes, waiting for the pill to take effect. He swallowed in nervousness dreading what would happened next. He felt anxious when after a few seconds nothing happened. What should he be expected? He had no idea. He didn't know how long that would take to find himself in the ODD world. He didn't know if it would hurt or if he would feel anything.

 

To be honest, he didn't even know how it was possible to be send in another world. What this all meant. The concept was almost unbelievable, inconceivable. How could this all be possible?

 

He couldn't really understand the phenomenon when he first heard about it. A spiritual world people could only reach by taking a pill? Same as the one he knew? Another world in the mind where all the user were connected?

 

Unthinkable.

 

And yet, he was going to taste it.

 

And he had to admit, the idea of being control by a drug scared him. But he has done a lot of researches and knew the best that a simple and controlled intake was safe.

 

As his thoughts were wandering around, he felt his mind blurring and floating around him. His head felt light and he felt himself relaxed. He could clearly see his mind fading away from where he was lying and he wanted to grab it and bring it back to him, fear suddenly invading his senses. But all he could do was feeling it disappear and running away from his body.

 

And suddenly, all came back in place. He felt his mind filling his head once again and consciousness bringing back to live his body. He opened his eyes and his heart stopped.

 

A car was running straight toward him and the second after he heard the tires screech on the asphalt and tear apart his eardrums.

 

His body hit a hard surface for barely a second. He felt like his head has exploded from the impact. He chocked at the realness of his pain. _If fucking hurts!_ How could that be possible? He knew where he was but he just felt like he was himself. But it couldn't be the case. He wasn't in his world but just in a world build somewhere in his mind. Where was he exactly? The thought of him this vulnerable in that place he didn’t know combined to the pain he was feeling made him shaking with fear.

 

“Shiiit”

 

The voice which was trying to force his way into his mind seemed so far, so distant, he could bet it was coming from someone far away from him. He could hardly breathe and he felt the darkness swallowing his mind once again. A soft and plush something slide under his head and the darkness retreated a bit.

 

"God are you okay?? I'm so so sorry. Can you understand what I'm saying? Are you fine?"

 

This time, he heard it clearer, the voice invading his aching head and he tried to move toward it to make it stop. His tense and sore neck was heavy to move and he gritted his teeth to make it happen. His eyes slowly opened up to meet the face of a stranger.

 

“It’s okay, I'll call an ambulance, don't move. Look at me, can you speak?"

 

He watched the man without understanding what he was saying. Was he speaking to him? But either way something inside of him urged him to run away from the man. He saw himself pull away from below the car without thinking much about it.

 

"Hey don't move you're hurt don't worsen y..."

 

"I'm...I'm... oka..y" he tried to speak.

 

A loud curse escaped from his lips when he finally got up. He was suffering like hell. He put one foot before the other, rolling away from the car but his mind was numb and his vision darkened. He felt strong hands grabbing him and he hissed.

 

"Hey hey easy"

 

"Everything is alright, leave me"

 

He didn’t stop moving away hoping that the man will finally go back to his car and drive away, leaving him in peace. He really didn’t want to deal with him right now. But he maybe ran too quickly, because he mind went blank suddenly and his legs gave away. He was waiting for the impact, for his head hitting violently the ground, but instead he felt the hands back on him, holding him tight.

 

He was ready to let himself go in the embrace but what he heard make him flinch.

 

"Come with me, I'll drive you to the hospital"

 

The hospital? It would be the worst thing that could happen to him right now! He couldn’t go to that kind of place and venture his identity to be disclosed. His identity that actually didn’t exist in this world. No this couldn’t happen.

 

"Which part don’t you understand?? I can deal with it on my own, go back to your car"

 

He released himself from the man’s grip, tottering to escape. He walked a few meters when he realized that the man was still following him. _What’s wrong with that man_ , he thought.

 

A scream startled him and he cringed from pain. "You're bleeding!"

 

The second after he was struggling with the man but he was too weak for a fair battle and it actually drained him further. He had no strength anymore and he left himself to his fate, collapsing in the other’s arms.

 

"Yah weirdo, you should have listen to me"

 

He couldn’t hear the voice anymore and he let go of everything. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on a hard surface. He saw the man about to close the door on him and he grabbed him just in time to whisper to him his last words before closing his eyes for good.

 

“Not the hospital. Please…”

 

 

 

 

He didn’t know what he was thinking about when he drove the man straight to his home. He should have send him to the hospital, where he should be in his state. But something inside of him made him follow what the man said to him.

 

The man didn’t want to be send to the hospital. He remembered his pleading eyes, his soft voice imploring him not to do it. And he didn’t.

 

Mrs. Cho was the one who welcomed him when he entered the home. She was about to ask him why he was already back and why he was empty-handed but she shut her mouth as soon as her eyes met the unconscious man Kibum’s was dragging beside him. She ran to his side, helping him holding the guy straight.

 

“What happened??” she asked eying him with wide eyes.

 

“Help me drag him into my room!” he hissed ignoring her question.

 

They placed him onto the bed with much effort and Kibum immediately ran to his shelf to grab all the necessities. He first checked his pulse, his breathing then searched for injuries and wounds.

 

Kibum sighed. Thankfully, he didn’t seem badly hurt, except from a scratch on his right knee and his head injury all was okay. The wound on his head wasn’t deep but a head injury wasn’t something to be underestimated. They could be nothing or everything. He regretted now not to bring him to the hospital.

 

Mrs. Cho next to him was praying for the man recovery, wishing that he will wake up soon and in good condition. Kibum on the other hand, was sitting on the floor next to his bed, his back resting against the edge.

 

His heart was still beating fast and he still hasn’t realized what has happened. He was trying to recall the night, thinking about what he was doing before the incident. But the little thinking made his head explode.

 

He was pretty sure his eyes hadn’t left the road even one second. How could he had missed the guy?! And he didn’t want to trust his eyes neither, a part of him assuring him that he really had saw the man appearing from nowhere in front of him, another part was telling him that the shock probably messed up with his head.

 

Anyway, the situation he put himself in was crazy. And he wanted to cry with frustration.

 

“He will be okay Kibum, take a rest”

 

“I should have drove him to the hospital. Why am I this stupid! If he doesn’t wake up-”

 

“He will! He just has to rest, he must be in shock. You are too.”

 

Kibum shook his head dismissing his dark thoughts.

 

“I will keep an eye on him, you can go to bed Mrs. And I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you anything.”

 

The lady chuckled softly. “That doesn’t matter anymore, with have a sick man at home now”

 

He glanced at the man sleeping next to him and sighed. He was sleeping peacefully. His anxious and fearful expression have faded away giving justice to his nice features.

 

“Go well quickly” he muttered after the lady of the house stroked his shoulder before leaving the room.

 

One thing he was sure, he had to stop driving a car. He would always find a way to hurt somebody with.

 

 

 

 

“It’s what always said my boyfriend!” she laughed tapping her hand on the bar counter another half-emptied pink drink in the other. They were having a quite funny conversation, at least it was what the alcohol they have ingurgitated let them believe. But her statement made the man froze. Boyfriend? Ash that wasn’t good news at all.

 

Yes, he loved wooing and making people fall for his spell, but he wasn’t the type to put his nose in another people business and above all, he wasn’t a bastard. Well, not a bad bastard but the good kind of bastard. He didn’t know if it really existed but if it did, he would qualified himself as one. Not a saint or a good Samaritan but not a disgusting son of the bitch neither.

 

“Is your boyfriend okay with me trying to pick you up?” She blushed once again and he sighed. She wouldn’t be the one for tonight. And she was to easy anyway…

 

He paid her another drink and slowly beat a retreat, leaving the drunken woman at the bar. She didn’t even try to hold him back, so he didn’t even feel bad for leaving. He made his way through the crowd of people dancing against one other on the beat of the music playing at the club and Taemin himself felt the rhythm bouncing inside of him making him rubbing himself against some random bodies on his way to the tables.

 

When he finally reached the other side of the club, he scanned the place for another prey. There were a few women standing alone in some corners but one in particular caught his attention. She was wearing a short red dress and black high heels and her black hair were caressing sensually the small of her back. He couldn’t see her face but the boring way she was stamping her foot on the floor was enough to make him walk to her.

 

Then, he lightly tapped her shoulder, and spoke in her ears in order to be heard. “Hey”

 

The woman turned around and he froze. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she broke into a big smile. “Taemin!” he heard her scream despite de noise.

 

“Minjoo?”

 

Soon after he felt his body crush against a warmness and arms tighten around him like she was trying to break his bones.

 

“Minjoo! I’m happy to see you too! Please…”

 

She released the boy from her grip and he scanned his friend head to toe. He couldn’t remember the last time he has seen her, but it felt like it wasn’t long ago. He didn’t knew her since a long time but she was the kind of person someone could get acquainted with quickly. Outgoing, very talkative and friendly.

 

“You’re abnormally strong for a woman” he teased. She chuckled and poked his biceps.

 

“I don’t want to offend you, but you’re the one who is weak here”

 

He swept her comment like he hasn’t heard anything. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I could return you the question.”

 

“Minjoo” He sighed in defeat, her character hasn’t changed for a bit. Always answering by questions and leading the conversation.

 

“Isn’t the same as you? Having fun? Come on Taemin! Let’s dance!” She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dancefloor.

 

At first reluctantly, Taemin gave himself in. They danced like crazy, bouncing on the rhythm as if it was the last time they would be able to do it, pressing their body against each other from time to time, rubbing against strangers other times. Taemin was a pretty good dancer, it wasn’t a surprise for him to find some women to his side, enjoying a little moment of bliss with him.

 

Taemin was oblivious of his surrounding for a while, the only things that would cross his mind was how good it felt to free his mind and Minjoo’s presence.

 

“I’m surprise to see you here Minjoo” he finally whispered in her ear after a few songs.

 

“Why? I am the one who should be surprise, it’s far from your house! Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

 

He looked at her with eyebrows furrowed thinking of what she had just say. Realization came to him and he wanted to facepalm himself. Yeah he forgot, she recently moved to the area and he, he was miles away from his place.

 

“I’m on leave” She nodded lightly and placed her hands around his neck, looking up to meet his eyes when the music changed to a slow, pointing out that the club would soon be closed. He took her small waist between his hands and they danced like this.

 

“I live not far from here, do you want to come to my house after?” He was about to respond when she interrupted him, intercepting his naughty glare.

 

“And don’t have weird thoughts, I’m still Kibum’s friend, I would never do the things you are probably thinking of with his beloved brother”

 

“Beloved” he chuckled.

 

“Well kind of” he heard her giggled.

 

 

 

 

He squinted, allowing his eyes to adapt to the brightness of the room he was in. He couldn't properly determine where he was, the light aggravating his headache and making him half blind. He slowly raised his shaking hand at the level of his eyes and examined it.

 

He folded his knuckles and brushed his lips with his fingertips. He could feel the sensation in both his tips and his lips. All was exactly how he reminded it. Was he really in the ODD world?

 

Then the images of what happened after he took the pill came to his mind in waves.

 

The car. The tires. The man.

 

His breathing went faster, he could feel his heartbeat beating off his ribcage.

 

The hospital.

 

He attempted to scan the room, rolling his eyes frantically left to right, right to left but he could see nothing but pain. The panic amplified his pain and he whined lightly closing his eyes.

 

"Relax, you're safe"

 

He heard a soft voice said next to him. The voice was calm, soothing and warm as if it wanted to tell him that all was okay, that he could rest and abandon himself to the sleepiness still engraved in his stifling body.

 

But panic came once again when he realized that he didn't know the voice and that the sweet smell invading his senses was something unknown.

 

He opened his eyes and the action made his hand clenched to the soft fabric he was lying on in order to resist the urge to close them again.

 

"Easy..."

 

The voice was closer now. A cold hand met his forehead, brushing the hair stuck on his face and his muscles relaxed from the coolness.

 

He raised his eyes and came face to face to a blurry form. He stared at it when the blurriness started to fade away, revealing a pair of soft caramel eyes and a small smile.

 

The man.

 

"Shhh you have nothing to be afraid of. Your injuries are minor. You're lucky I'm a nurse. Maybe your head...Anyway, how do you feel?"

 

Bad? Like he has been hit by a truck? Well, it has almost been the case.

 

"I'm fine"

 

With those words he straightened himself on the bed. Maybe he shouldn't have done it as his mind went blank and he felt his upper body meet the softness of the bed again.

 

"Hey, I said it wasn't too bad, not that you were Superman."

 

Jinki groaned, wriggling on the bed. His lower body was numb but except a light pain in his right knee it didn't hurt.

 

"Shit"

 

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday... I should have been more careful. I didn't see you coming."

 

The man emphasized on his last sentence and Jinki shivered. Was he trying to insinuate something? The man didn't inspired him confidence and he wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

 

"It was late, I might be sleepy. It's all my fault I'm sorry".

 

He glanced at the man who was biting his bottom lip. He seemed sincerely sorry but he couldn't sympathize with him.

 

"I have to go… Thanks for not taking me to the hospital. What happened earlier was nothing. You should forget about it, I'm not going to report you or something. We are even".

 

“What nonsense are you saying?”

 

He sat on the bed again, his eyes closed to repress the urge to collapse once again. And it worked. He opened them again, trying to put one foot out of the bed. The man in front of him gapped, ready to prevent him to move. His foot found the floor and he leaned on it to right himself.

 

"Don't! You have to rest! You're-"

 

As he stood up, the blanket slid from him, reveling his...naked body?

 

"-naked"

 

Jinki caught up the blanket and covered his bare lower body. He looked angrily at the man whose cheeks has turned red.

 

"Why would you-" he started to question when the door of the room opened up on a middle age woman.

 

"Ohh you’re awake!! How are you feeling my boy??" She rushed to his side as she saw him ready to leave, feeling his temperature by placing a hand on his forehead as the other man did before.

 

"You're still hot! I don't want to see you out of the bed until you're fine! And you can call me by all names, call me crazy, bitch or whatever you like, I won't let you leave my house in this state!"

 

She didn't allow him to say one word and pushed him back onto the bed slowly, covering his still bare chest with the blanket. Jinki blinked and tried to push her hand away from him but he was too weak to fight.

 

"Stay with us until you get better. Hum?"

 

He closed his eyes and rested his head on the cushion. He wanted to yell at them and tell them to let him leave but Leeteuk words came into his mind. _I want you for now to get familiar to the world, observe it and tame it. Make connections, investigate quietly and then find our man._ Right, he had to know more and apprehender the world.

 

The two people beside him weren't those he had thought to meet but he'd have to put up with it. He breathed and opened his eyes, putting on his face his best convincing smile.

 

"Of course"

 

Nonetheless, he hoped that he would get better quickly. He couldn't stay more than 72h with the couple. It would be a waste of time. His time was ticking.

 

"Where is my watch?"

 

 

 

 

He heard someone knock on the door and it opened a few seconds after. Mrs. Cho's head stuck out and he smiled at her. She took care of him since he woke up. She was an adorable and caring woman, full of life and funny to top it all. He thought that she was spoiling him too much but he didn’t dare to say otherwise. She was one of those women of character that could make you see all shade of colors if you had the misfortune to upset her. And except for making him ill-at-ease, it didn’t bother it that much. He couldn’t remember the last time someone took care of him. It seemed so far…

 

She came to his side holding a tray full of meals and put it on his lap.

 

"I bet you are hungry! I make you something"

 

"You didn't have to!" He answered, glancing at the tray full of diverse meals. Too much. How was he supposed to eat it all by his own?

 

"I didn’t know what you like so I hope you'll find something at your taste! It's almost lunch I have to set up with friends at the restaurant... It shouldn't take time but if you need something Kibum is downstairs."

 

"Kibum?"

 

"The man who bring you here. He is downstairs. Make sure to eat! See you later"

 

And she left him not without taking the time to give him a smile. He turned his attention to the tray on his laps and smiled. It looked like her. Sweet and generous. Surely too generous, but to be honest, he didn’t really have the appetite for it. He leaned on the bedhead and was ready to take another nape when a noise coming from the outside attracted his attention.

 

 It was like a soft knock and he expected the door to open but nothing. He thought that it must be his tired mind who was playing tricks on him and he closed his eyes.

 

But it gave him an idea. He was tired of being here and he couldn’t stay still anymore.

 

He stood up from the bed wearing a marine shirt and a pair of jeans Mrs. Cho lent him. He made his way to the door, a little hastily because his mind darkened momently and he had to pause in the middle of the room to regain his senses. He hasn’t totally recovered, his head still a little numb but he felt much better. He sneaked out of the bedroom and took the only exit he saw, the stairs, and walked down as silently as he could.

 

He was now in a room that looked like a living room and his eyes met the main door. He sighed, relived. A few meters and he was free. He had nothing to do here anyway. He ran stealthily through the little corridor but before he reached the door, a voice startled him.

 

“Where are you going, dammit?”

 

_Shit._

 

 

 

 

Kibum massaged his forehead. He barely slept last night if not at all because of the recent events. He was still shaken from what happened even if the black coffee he took earlier made him relax a bit. Thankfully, he man has woken up and should recover quickly. His mind has worked too much that night and he hasn’t been able to stop it. But now that the house was silent, he could rely on the quietness the house was filled with for now.

 

He opened Minjoo’s book where he had stopped the last time and settled comfortably onto his armchair. At least he had something innocent to light his mind.

 

_…It’s break time and I am in the school playground. I am sitting on a bench near the end of the schoolyard watching the others student having fun and playing with each other. They look happy and seeing them laughing at their heart content makes me happy too. I break into a loud laugh when I hear Pinky making fun of them. We are just the two of us enjoying the break as we always do, as I like to do. I am fine with the way I spend my breaks, watching the other kids, speaking with Pinky and taking a rest before going back to class. I like classes but I prefer to be out and be with my friend._

 

_Pinky is telling me a story when our teacher comes to us. She smiles apologetically at us and I turn around to see what was upsetting her. I don’t like when my teacher looks sad. She tells me if I don’t want to play with the kids and that I look lonely but I tell her that’s okay, I prefer watching them and Pinky is okay with it too. She sighs and I see her looking at us with disbelief and dejected eyes. I look down as I understand I am the one who make her look sad._

 

_I am an 8 years old elementary school bad kid who make people around me upset and I don’t know why. Pinky is comforting me and I am glad to have him as a friend. He tells me I am-_

 

Something in the corner of Kibum’s eyes caught his attention and he looked away from the book.

 

“Where are you going, dammit?”

 

 

 

“YOU! COME HERE!”

 

Kibum saw the man stopped, startled by his infamous high pitch scream and he smiled inwardly, proud with himself. He took good advantage of it and ran by the man’s side, and grabbed the tip of his ears between two of his fingers pulling him back toward the stairs. The brown-haired man whined but Kibum acted as if nothing was wrong.

 

“You’ll go nowhere! You’re hurt and under my responsibility! I’m your nurse for the day so go upstairs and rest!”

 

He wasn’t at the clinic but the man in front of him was behaving like one of his shallow-brained patient. And it was something he hated the most. Disobedience.

 

“W-hat?” the shocked man stammered out.

 

“Did the hit on your head damaged your hearing!?” He pulled with more force on the other’s ear to make him move.

 

“Hey it’s HURT!” Jinki’s body wasn’t ready for the sudden yelling and he felt a heavy pound in his head.

 

Jinki closed his fists and swallowed a bunch of curse. He felt humiliated. If he wanted he could have overpowered the man and broke free. But he couldn’t, the man was just a random citizen and he had to keep his cover. So, he followed the man against his will toward the room like a good pet.

 

“You didn’t eat anything” the nurse noticed.

 

Jinki said nothing and settled himself on the bed.

 

"You have to eat. I'll watch you. Go ahead." His sentences were short and bullet-pointed.

 

“Who you think you are?” He was about to add more venomous words but he thought better and stayed shut. Where was his self-control when he needed it the most? This didn’t look like him. Has he lost a part of his composure while taking the pill?

 

“Do you like when someone stared at you when you eat?”

 

“I’m sorry, it’s part of my job” the nurse sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

“I told you, I’m a nurse. My job is to take care of people. I often monitor the lunch breaks at the clinic though” he added.

 

“So you work at a clinic?”

 

“Yeah, psychiatric clinic to be precise”

 

“Well you are not at work… could you please? It’s quite burdensome”

 

He rolled his eyes but did as the man said anyway. “Yeah I get it, eat well”

 

And he left the room, leaving the man alone. He wasn’t really friendly but he couldn’t blame him, he was held against his will in a house with crazy peoples. Maybe Mrs. Cho rubbed off on him too much, he was becoming like her, and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing.

 

 _No, it couldn’t be a good thing_ , he thought, laughing to himself.

 

 

 

 

And the day went like this, without more incident. He barely saw the nurse again even less spoke to him, Mrs. Cho took over for keeping him company since she came back for Jinki's relief. It was now dark outside and the stress of the past hours was into his sore shoulders.

 

Jinki was dozing on the bed when he felt something by his side and the blanket sliding from him. He opened the eyes in surprise and turned to his right to see the man lying next to him, looking at him as if nothing was wrong.

 

“What are you doing?” The man rolled his eyes as if the answer was evident.

 

“I’m going to sleep, it’s my bed after all”

 

“I would take the couch then” he mumbled to himself, ready to leave. But the nurse captured his arm with his thin fingers, preventing him to stand up.

 

“You stay here, the bed is big enough for the two of us” he said so settling himself comfortably on the bed smoothing the cover before lying down, head on his pillow. The man turned off the bedside lamp next to him without warning and the second after they were plunged into darkness.

 

Jinki sighed, conceding defeat. He pulled the cover over his head and rolled on his side, giving the man his back. He had to sleep quickly and forget about all the mess before he would find a plan to strangle the man in his sleep. The task didn’t require a lot of thing anyway…

 

"I'm Kim Kibum. And you?"

 

He was taken aback by the sudden soft voice invading the room and he responded immediately.

 

"Lee Jink- I mean-"

 

"Goodnight Lee Jinki"

 

He stayed shut. Has he just revealed him his real name?

 

He cursed himself. His mission started bad, really bad. The people leaving in this house were crazy and if he stayed too long there he was sure he would lose his sanity too.

 

After a few minutes or maybe hours, he couldn’t tell, Jinki was still awake. He couldn’t sleep properly. He was tired, yet unable to find sleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he has shared a bed with somebody and the fact that his sleeping habit obliged him to take for himself all the bed bothered him. He couldn’t sprawl all over the bed like he used to do.

 

“I promise tomorrow morning I will let you go out and you will never have to see me again”

 

Kibum wasn’t sleeping yet?

 

“Just bear my presence a little more, okay?”

 

Jinki didn’t answer back and with those words, he closed his eyes and tiredness slowly pulled him in an ocean of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here the second chapter of Odd World. The chapter was ready since last week but with the end-of-the-year festivities and all I didn't have the time to post it. This one is much shorter than the other but I think it would be like this for now ^^
> 
> So, Jinki and Kibum finally met! It might be a little cliché but I needed it to be that way...
> 
> And Taemin really isn't a bad boy...But you are free to believe what you want x)
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed ^^


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